In a live performance, a performer appears before a live audience and can observe the audience during the performance. The live audience may make the performance more enjoyable for the performer, more exciting, and more interactive. The experience of the live audience is also improved because of the presence of other audience members and perhaps a possibility to interact with the performer. If, instead of a live audience, a performance is presented online to a remote audience, then the direct interaction between the performer and the audience is severed. If the audience is in disparate locations, then the direct interaction between audience members is also severed. The severed connection reduces the appeal of the performance for both the performer and the audience.
To address this issue avatar-like characters have been proposed to represent an audience member's gestures, facial movements, or voice. This type of feedback is then shown to the performer or to other audience members to simulate some of the appeal of a performance before a live audience.
Unfortunately, the reality of online connections and user equipment render such proposals difficult to implement. Not all users receive the performance at the same time, nor have the ability to respond at the same time or with the same speed. The instant response provided by the audience is lost and instead the participants are left with something that does not directly correspond with the timing of the performance. The excitement and spontaneity may be lost.